May 1st to 31st

Find Out What happened This Day in History for the month of May

May This Day In History

Important News Stories From Each Day In May This Day In History together with the year

May 1st : 1931 The Empire State Building in New York Officially opens1962 The first Kmart department store opens1967 Elvis Presley, married his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla Ann Beaulieu1982 British Warships and Fighter Bombers bombed Argentinean positions at Port Stanley on the Islands as war broke out over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands1982 1982 World’s Fair opens in Knoxville, Tennessee2006 Great American Strike was a one day boycott of United States schools and businesses by immigrants, both legal and illegalMay 2nd : 1930 Hoover Says Stock Market Crash Temporary Setback1952 The worlds first commercial Jet Airliner a De Havilland Comet from London for Johannesburg 1997 Tony Blair became Britain's youngest prime minister in 185 years. 2008 Australia Ongoing DroughtMay 3rd : 1926 General Strike is called for by the (TUC) in UK1932 Continued growth in TB / Tuberculosis in US and around the world1951 Festival of Britain is opened at the Royal Festival Hall by King George VI1979 Margaret Thatcher Becomes British Prime Minister 1991 Last Dallas Episode Shown May 4th :1886 Haymarket Square Riot Chicago 1932 Al Capone begins life as convict 40886 in Atlanta Federal Penitentiary serving 11 years for Income Tax Evasion 1970 National Guards fired on protesters at Kent State University and 4 were killed and a further 10 were injured. 2010 First Oil Reaches Louisiana Coast From Deepwater Horizon drilling disasterMay 5th : 1891 Carnegie Hall originally called Music Hall has it's official opening in New York City 1925 John Thomas Scopes a teacher from Dayton, Tennessee is arrested for violating Tennessee's Butler Act 1961 Alan B. Shepard Jr became the first American in space May 6th : 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese immigrants from the United States for 10 years.1910 King Edward VII Dies1937 The German airship Hindenburg the largest dirigible ever built burst into flames 1954 Roger Bannister becomes the first man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes1994 The Queen and France's President Francois Mitterrand formally open the Channel Tunnel during two ceremonies in France and Britain.May 7th : 1915 A German torpedo sinks the British Ocean liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, killing nearly 1,200 people. 1941 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra recorded "Chattanooga Choo Choo."1941 Germany continues to send large numbers of Bombers laden with bombs targeting Liverpool, North East, North West, Bristol and London1945 Germany signs unconditional surrender at Rheims in France bringing to an end six years of war in Europe.1956 British Health Minister RH Turton, rejects calls for a government campaign against smoking, saying no ill-effects have actually been proven from smoking and the link between smoking and lung Cancer has not been proved. 1977 Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby, the first of his Triple Crown victories for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. May 8th : 1945 VE Day / Victory In Europe Declared 1970 Just shortly after the Break Up of the Beatles is announced The Beatles Final original album "Let It Be" is released by Apple Records.1973 Battle Of Wounded Knee Ends1988 Murder Via Cyanide in Excedrin Capsules2000 The Tate Modern art gallery in a conversion of the former power station on Bankside in London opens its doors to the world's media May 9th : 1960 The Food and Drug Administration approved the first pill for contraceptive use in Birth Control1974 Nixon impeachment hearings begin against President Richard M. Nixon1974 Bruce Springsteen nicknamed "The Boss," with his E Street Band performed a concert in Cambridge, Mass., which made the well known rock critic Jon Landau write, "I saw rock and roll future and it's name is Bruce Springsteen." May 10th : 1924 J. Edgar Hoover is appointed by President Calvin Coolidge to be the Sixth director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) name changed in 1936 to the FBI1926 General strike in England1940 Battle Of France Begins 1965 Warren Buffet Gains Controlling Interest In Berkshire-Hathaway1994 South Africa's newly elected parliament chose an Unopposed Nelson Mandela to be the country's first black president.1998 Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and other members of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the republican IRA, vote to accept the Good Friday peace agreement.May 11th : 1934 A huge dust storm is spotted moving from the Midwest. The dust storm was 1,500 miles long, 900 miles across and two miles high1953 F5 tornado struck Waco, Texas where 48 were known dead and more than 250 injured. 1997 IBM's The Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov to win a six-game chess match between man and computer in New York.May 12th : 1932 The Baby son kidnapped from Charles Lindbergh was found dead just miles away from the Lindbergh home 1937 King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey.2008 An Earthquake measuring 7.8 strikes near Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital in south western China leaving more than 60 thousand dead

May 13th : 1938 "When the Saints Go Marching In" was recorded by Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra. 1940 Churchill makes First Speach As Prime Minister 1985 Philadelphia Police Department drop a bomb containing C-4 and Tovex from a helicopter onto MOVE's residence part of a row of tenements on Osage AvenueMay 14th : 1940 The British Secretary of State for War Anthony Eden announced the creation of the Local Defence Volunteers ( LDV ) name changed in July of to "The Home Guard".1942 Congress creates the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps ( WACS )1948 The independent state of Israel is proclaimed as British rule in Palestine came to an end.1957 Petrol rationing, which has been in force in Britain and France for five months following the Suez crisis ends.1991 Winnie Mandela, the wife of Nelson Mandela, is given a six-year prison sentence for her part in the kidnap of four youths suspected of being police informers, one of the kidnapped boys later died of his injuries.May 15th : 1940 Nylon stockings from DuPont ( Nylon invented in 1935 by Wallace Carothers ) went on general sale for the first time in the United States. 1941 The Gloster-Whittle E 28/39 Jet aircraft flies successfully over Cranwell, England, ( First Jet Aircraft Flight )1942 Gas rationing goes into effect across 27 US states as part of the war effort. 1957 Britain tests first hydrogen bomb on the Christmas Island area in the Pacific Ocean,1972 Alabama Governor George Wallace is shot and left paralyzed while campaigning for President of the United StatesMay 16th : 1927 Following the floods in Louisiana rescue workers have so far found over 20 people dead with more coming as they continue to check homes flooded due to the flooding 1929 The First ever Academy Awards of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards were handed out at a banquet held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.1943 Resistance in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw has ended as SS Police and Wehrmacht units using tanks and other armoured vehicles take back control of the ghetto crushing resistance after 1 month of fighting. 1969 Rioting and protests against the war in Vietnam continue on campuses throughout California with local National Guardsman patrolling Berkeley campus of the University of California area with fixed bayonets to keep peace and order.2005 Army Specialist Sabrina Harman was convicted at Fort Hood, Texas, for her role in the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. May 17th : 1943 Lancaster bombers use the revolutionary bomb designed to bounce on the water to bypass dam defences ( immortalised in a 1954 war film Dambusters ) .1954 The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education , ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional.1973 The investigation of Watergate by the Senate begins televised hearings on the Watergate scandal.May 18th :1964 Large numbers of Mods and Rockers involved in violent clashes at a number of seaside resorts on the south coast of England 1980 Mount St. Helens located in the Cascade Range erupted and blasted 1,300 ft off it's top that sent hot mud, gas and ashes running down it's slopes May 19th : 1921 The Emergency Quota Act was passed into law which limits the number of immigrants admitted into the US. 1962 Marilyn Monroe performed a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for President John F. Kennedy for his forty-fifth birthday during a fund-raiser at New York's Madison Square Garden. May 20th :1927 Charles Lindbergh who many called the "flying fool" sets off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, NY, flying the "Spirit of St. Louis" on an epic flight from New York to Paris. He completed the 33-hour, 30-minute flight and landed at Le Bourget Airport, Paris on the evening of 21 May.1961 An angry mob consisting of all white's attacked a busload of "Freedom Riders" ( Freedom Riders were testing the United States Supreme Court decision Boynton v. Virginia, that gave them a legal right to disregard local segregation ordinances regarding interstate transportation facilities. ) in Montgomery, Ala. 1973 The British Royal Navy Frigates the Cleopatra, the Plymouth and the Lincoln are sent to the disputed Icelandic 50-mile zone to protect British trawlers fishing inside the zone as the COD WAR between Britain and Iceland escalates. May 21st :1881 American Red Cross Founded1927 Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris, completing the first nonstop trans-Atlantic flight 1932 Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to make a solo air crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, from Newfoundland to Ireland 1991 Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated 2010 Scientists in the United States successfully created artificial life by creating the first live cell to be controlled by synthetic DNA.May 22nd :1927 An earthquake measuring 8.6 on Richter scale strikes Xining in the eastern part of Qinghai province It was one of the deadliest earthquakes on record with a total count of 200,000 deaths.1965 Berkeley University Anti Vietnam Protests 1972 Ceylon changes it's name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka1981 The Yorkshire ripper Peter Sutcliffe found guilty of killing 13 women 1989 Students occupied Tiananmen Square in BeijingMay 23rd :1929 New gold rush starts in Australia 1934 Bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow gunned down with over 100 rounds of ammunition by police in Black Lake, Louisiana.1988 Median price for a home is now $87,7001998 A referendum on the Good Friday peace agreement held in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic ended with 3 to 1 support.May 24th : 1883 The Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan over the East River opens to traffic.1934 Month Long Drought in Midwest continues 1941 German Battleship Bismarck Sinks HMS Hood1961 Two buses carrying 27 'Freedom Riders' 25 Negroes and two whites were arrested by city police officers in Jackson Mississippi and charged with disobeying an officer and breach of peace. 1976 Air France from Paris and British Airways from London simultaneously began Concorde service to Dulles Airport, Washington cutting the travel time from 7 hours to 3 1/2 hours. May 25th : 1895 Playwright Oscar Wilde was found guilty of gross indecency in London and sentenced two years of hard labour.1925 A high school science teacher, John T. Scopes was indicted for teaching the theory of evolution in his classes, as the Tennessee state law prohibits the teaching of evolution in public schools.1935 Jesse Owens broke three world records at the Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan including broad jump, the 220-yard dash and the low hurdles. 1961 President Kennedy has asked Congress for $531 million to help the US put a man on the moon before the end of the decade . On July 21st 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon. 1968 The Gateway Arch in St. Louis standing 630 feet tall, and 630 feet wide at its base is dedicated1977 First Of The Star Wars Movies OpensMay 26th : 1896 The Dow Jones Industrial Average was first published. The average price of the 12 initial stocks was 40.941940 The Dunkirk evacuation begins "Operation Dynamo" was launched for the evacuation of British, French and Belgian soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk in northern France1950 After 11 years petrol rationing finally ends in Great Britain1969 Beatle John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono stage a public 'bed in' for world peace - staying in bed for a week in a hotel in Montreal.May 27th : 1923 First Le Mans 24 hour race1937 Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County, California is opened to pedestrian traffic and more than 200,000 pedestrians walked across on opening day.1941 The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the Atlantic by the Royal Naval ships Dorsetshire, King George V and Rodney1997 F5 tornado ( Winds Greater Than 260 MPH )and almost 800 feet wide strikes Jarrell, Texas, destroying the town and killing 27 people.May 28th : 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club fire 1987 A 19 year old West German, Mathias Rust, flying a light plane undetected from Helsinki to Moscow and lands safely in Red SquareMay 29th : 1932 World War I veterans known as the " Bonus Army " begin arriving in Washington to demand cash bonuses they weren't scheduled to receive for another 13 years be paid early to allow them to survive 1942 Bing Crosby records the world's top selling record White Christmas1953 Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal become the first explorers to reach the top of Mount Everest1985 Heysel Stadium Disaster in BelgiumMay 30th : 1911 The first ever running of the Indianapolis 5001922 The Lincoln Memorial built to honor Abraham Lincoln the 16th president of the United States, is dedicated by Former President William Howard Taft in Washington, D.C. 1937 The Memorial Day Massacre takes place when Ten union demonstrators are killed and 84 are wounded when police opened fire in front of the South Chicago Republic Steel plant. 1959 The first full size hovercraft , the SR-N1, designed by Sir Christopher Cockerell, is launched and tested at Cowes on the Isle of Wight.May 31st : 1859 Big Ben rings out over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, England for the first time.1889 Dam Break Johnstown, Pennsylvania kills thousands1916 The Battle of Jutland during World War I1935 Earthquake hits Northwestern India leaving an estimated 20,000 people dead in Quetta.1970 An earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale 30 km off the coast of Casma, Peru in the Pacific Ocean causes the destabilized the northern wall of Mount Huascarán causing an avalanche that buries the towns of Yungay and Ranrahirca. Due to the speed the avalanche travelled at more than 100 miles per hour little warning was given and an estimated 50,000 people in the two cities lost their lives making it the worst natural disaster ever recorded in the history of Peru. 1977 The almost 800 miles long Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline is completed
These are only a few of the stories included this day in history pages for each day in May ,

Videos from This Day In History with a brief description together with this day in history date in May where the video can be found.
1st May : The Empire State Building 1931
1st May : Citizen Kane 1941
2nd May : The beginning of the Great Depression 1930
2nd May : Comet first flight 1952
3rd May : Dallas Soap 1991
4th May : Greensburg, Kansas Tornado 2007
4th May : Kent State University Shootings 1970
4th May : Al Capone 1932
6th May : Video Footage of Roger Bannister breaking the four minute mile 1954
6th May : Airship Hindenburg Disaster 1937
7th May : Chattanooga Choo Choo 1941
7th May : Price Of Oil 2008
8th May : David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam ) 1978
8th May : The Beatles "Let It Be" 1970
8th May : VE Day / Victory In Europe celebrations 1945
8th May : Documentary about the New York killer David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam ) 1978
9th May : Ebola Virus outbreaks Documentary 1994
11th May : Documentary about the Dust Bowl Years explaining how and why 1934
12th May : King George VI coronation 1937
12th May : China Earthquake 2008
12th May : Berlin Blockade 1949
13th May : Footage of the Italian Fascist Benito Mussolini 1939
15th May : Distributing Food Aid towards the end of the Great Depression 1939
16th May : Anti Vietnam Protests on college campuses National Guard called in 1969
17th May : Rioting Liberty City, Miami 1980
17th May : Dambusters Raids 1943
17th May : Watergate Hearings 1973
19th May : Charlie Chan Avian Flu
19th May : Marilyn Monroe performed a rendition of "Happy Birthday" to JFK 1962
19th May : Harry Houdini 1920's
20th May : "Freedom Riders" and the fight for equality 1961
21st May : Charles Lindbergh completes the first Trans Atlantic Flight landing in Paris 1927
22nd May : The Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe 1981
22nd May : Tiananmen Square in Beijing 1989
23rd May : "I'll Never Smile Again" Frank Sinatra 1940
24th May : German Battleship Bismarck Sinks HMS Hood 1941
25th May : History of The Gateway Arch in St. Louis 1968
26th May : Dunkirk evacuation when every craft that could cross the channel to rescue soldiers 1940
27th May : The Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary 1936
28th May : Francis Chichester arrives back in Plymouth 1967
29th May : Who Shot JR in Dallas 1980
30th May : Biafra Declares Independence 1967
31st May : Resignation Speech of President Nixon from 1974
We have tried to include one video on each this day in history for May , we try to relate the videos to the specific news item in some way , I hope you enjoy the addition of related videos to this day in history.

1 The growing anti war demonstrations against the war in Vietnam continue as the weather brings more demonstrators onto the streets
2 May is one of the worst months for tornadoes in the region known as Tornado Alley in the US as hundreds of tornadoes touch down over many US States
3 After many months of the Soviet Union blockading west Berlin the blockade is lifted , in the months during the blockade the UK and US had been flying in essential supplies of oil and food
4 The war in the Balkans continues to worsen as the area is split by secular fighting caused through both sides wanting nationhood for it's citizens

Major Holidays In May

Victoria Day Canada The Monday on or before May 24 Easter A Sunday between April 4th and May 8th . Mothers Day Second Sunday in May Memorial Day U.S.A. May 30